


Counting Dragons

by Macdragon



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Gen, Hatching, post AIVAS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 02:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21920143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macdragon/pseuds/Macdragon
Summary: A visitor to Pern watches a Hatching.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2019





	Counting Dragons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kastaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kastaka/gifts).



> Thank you for pinch hitting and Happy Yuletide!

Jude Robson was was but a humble bureaucrat. Sure, the job involved traveling to different worlds, but that was just part of a days work. She was a mathematician at heart, a statistician to be exact, and she had been sent to Pern to assist with the first planetwide census there. She had done this before on other worlds. An accurate count was vital to understanding another planet after first contact, and Pern certainly had its hands full so they needed help. After destroying the centuries long threat from the Red Star, Pern had managed to send a message out into space, and now they had plenty of curious visitors. 

Pern was an especially interesting case. It was the first time she had seen a symbiotic relationship between humans and a native species. And since the dragons were sentient, they needed to be counted too.

Tracking dragons turned out to be easier than finding people. Since the beginning, every Weyrwoman had kept records of Hatchings, and every Weyrleader has kept records of the Wings. It was fascinating to see how the population had increased and decreased with Hatchings and Thread. Jude was already beginning to get a picture of the status at each Weyr. Of course with Thread no longer falling, the population would no longer fluctuate so much. Jude wondered about overpopulation Weyrwoman at Telgar, Kiora, had explained that Golds stopped producing as many eggs when Thread stopped. Hopefully it would work out.

She was in the records room poring over some musty old hides when an odd vibration began to shake the floors. “Earthquake!” Jude ran out into the hall, where others were gathering, but they seemed excited and not frightened. 

“The eggs are hatching!” Tylir, the Harper in charge of the records room, took her arm and pulled her into the moving crowd.

“What’s that sound?” She asked.

“The dragons hum to welcome the new arrivals. Come on, everyone is going to watch!”

Jude followed him down the tunnel to the hatching grounds, relieved this was a happy occasion and eager to see a Hatching for herself. Good thing she had her data pad with her, as the population was about to increase.

She pulled off her jacket as they walked into the cavern. The heat from both the sand and the crush of bodies was overwhelming. Jude didn’t envy the candidates, shuffling across the sand in white robes and sandals. “That’s my brother,” Tylir said, pointing at a lanky redhead near the front of the group. “It’s his fourth time standing. Candidates are having to wait longer now that clutches are smaller.”

“I wish him luck then,” Jude said. 

“Thanks, Jude. Hurry, we want to find a good spot.” He led her up the steps to the spectator stands. It was packed with people as well as fire lizards. The stone seats were worn from generators of Hatchings, and Jude settled in, her eyes on the sands. There were ten eggs, and all of the shells were dull and mottled, which she had learned meant there was no gold Queen. Which was for the better now with the population booming. 

Kiora and her Gold presided over the clutch. The Weyrwoman had seen many Hatchings before and Jude wondered if each one was unique. Did it ever get boring?

“The first egg is cracking!” Tylir exclaimed, pointing at one of the larger eggs. The chatter around them faded as the egg rocked and shattered. It was one of the metallic males, a bronze. “That’s supposed to be good luck.”

“And a green hatching first is bad?” That seemed like a rigged system to Jude. All of the colors served their purpose and the dragons were smart to organize that way. There were more of the small, fighter greens than any other color. Probability said that it was most likely one would hatch first. Why would the Weyrfolk set themselves up for bad omens?

The bronze flailed over to one of the boys, and Jude noted the Impression in her data pad. Next was a blue, small but healthy. He took his time examining the candidates, sniffing at them before letting out a joyous screech and rushing over to a familiar redhead. 

Jude grinned at Tylir, who erupted into cheers. “Congratulations, it looks like your brother doesn’t have to wait any longer.”

She noted the Blue and then the two browns and a green following him. The Hatching was a good one, with none of the gruesome injuries she’d heard stories about, and each baby finding their chosen in succession. Soon there were nine new riders. Just one more to go, a green that was milling the sands in a circle. 

One of the candidates approached her, his hands out to try and guide her to him, but she hissed and ran away. “What’s going on with her?” Jude asked.

Tylir shook his head sadly. “Sometimes a hatchling can’t find anyone suitable.”

“Oh. I’ve seen that in the records.” Jude frowned. She looked down at her data pad screen, hoping she wouldn’t have to include that in her list today. 

_JUDE!_

Someone was calling her name. Her eyes snapped up again but she didn’t see anyone nearby. Oh, why was she so hungry all of a sudden? Something was wrong, she was getting very worried—

_Jude! Why are you all the way up there? Come here please!_

This time she recognized the voice. It was utterly familiar even though she had never heard it before. “I’m coming, Linyth!”

She raced down the steps, all of her attention zeroed in on her dragon, her Linyth. Once people realized what was happening, they cleared a path for her. Finally, she reached the sand and jumped over the barrier from the stands, running to her green. She fell to her knees and threw her arms around the baby dragon. 

All of the records she’d read and lists she’d made could capture how Impression felt. It was like she had been searching for something all along, but didn’t realize it. Yet here it was. 

_I am so hungry. Can I go eat?_

“Yes Linyth, let’s go.” She got to her feet and beckoned for Linyth to follow her off the sands. She was going to have a lot to learn now, but she felt like she already understood one thing. A dragon and rider didn’t count for two lives, but one whole. 


End file.
